Tag Archives: habits

Habits.
How do you realize that something’s become a habit, before it becomes difficult to get out of?
Psychologically, a habit is considered to be a mental pattern. A system that the brain/mind is accustomed to follow subconsciously, through consistent repetitions . So, obviously, it’s not easy to break.

Especially, if you are as lazy as I am. Some habits are so comfortable that one simply doesn’t want to break them. It’s so easy to simply be pulled into another routine, even if’s not a good thing. It’s a habit, something we’re so accustomed to it. Why change now? And doing something else requires hard-work and hard-work requires energy. Which I lack for this particular act. Riiiight.

Waking up late is not necessarily a choice for everyone. For some it’s become a habit to never witness sunrise or see the rest of the family members leave home for work. It’s become a habit to sleep late, even if there is nothing worthwhile to do, the creative mind comes up with innumerable ways to procrastinate and stay awake.

Same goes for change, one is so used to whatever routine is present, whether one likes it or not. But change? A big NO! It’s the case of ‘I’d rather stay under the rock because it’s cosy here than venture into the world and look at the fields and lakes beyond’. Sigh.

And being lazy is the worst.. it’s such a self-destructive habit. A lazy person doesn’t even realize that he’s lazy. Such is the level of comfort. Hard-work is like oil on water to a lazy person. Simply doesn’t gel.

These very habits when out of control, can turn into addictions and obsessions. Almost everyone I know has been an internet addict at some point or the other. As long as it’s just a phase, no biggie. But when it begins to slip out of control, things get ugly. There are mood swings, frustrations, depression and immense fatigue.

Is it really worth it? What habits do we have? How good are they for us and how do they affect the people around us? We get irked sometimes when someone has a bad habit that we don’t approve of. What about our own habits? How many of them are good or productive or at least do nothing negative to anyone?

Are you happy with all the habits that you have? What about the ones that you think can be altered a bit or changed completely? When a habit becomes ingrained and we are totally comfortable, then we automatically fight against change. Most times, it’s an involuntary reaction. Like when you are habituated to defending yourself constantly; everything someone else says keeps you on guard too. That’s not healthy.

So now what? Where to start? How to change? Is change really required, when it’s so comfortable right now? And what if… blah blah blah ? All the scary, idiotic, nonsensical, logical what ifs will always be present. The important thing is to prioritize and to understand what the habits are doing and will end up doing.

Sometimes it’s easy to get rid of a habit, but most times it requires hard work. There’s no hard and fast rule as to how you can develop a new habit or get rid of an old one. But I remember being told often that if you want to cultivate something as a habit, keep doing it for 21 days or at least 15 days straight. And don’t stop after the second or third day. That’s very important. It actually works.

The simplest way: just start. Right now.
I sure need to.

P.S. Frankly, my inspiration was denying me my creative rights, but I decided to set a habit for this blog. Makes me happy.